Chapter 203: Chapter 203 — Force Value Evaluation

The wind swept across the training grounds as the silver formations surrounding the Heaven Measuring Monument activated completely. Thin streams of spiritual light rose from the formation cores placed around the arena, connecting one after another until a massive circular array formed beneath the monument itself.

The ancient black stone began humming softly.

Not violently.

But heavily.

Like something ancient had awakened.

Xu Wen stepped forward calmly, though his eyes remained fixed on the monument with far greater caution than before.

"The Heaven Measuring Monument does not evaluate cultivation realm," he explained while adjusting the sleeve of his robe. "It measures concentrated combat output."

Several younger disciples listened carefully.

Xu Wen continued.

"Force value is calculated through the amount of spiritual energy, physical strength, and destructive pressure compressed into a single direct strike."

His gaze shifted toward the gathered disciples.

"No techniques."

"No martial arts."

"No amplification methods."

"Only raw output."

King Tian Long folded his arms calmly beside Shaurya.

"In simple terms," he said casually, "it measures how hard you can hit."

The disciples immediately understood.

"Oh."

"That makes more sense."

Xu Wen ignored the interruption completely.

"Most cultivators produce force values relative to their cultivation realm. Exceptional talents occasionally exceed those limits."

A brief pause followed.

Then his eyes slowly moved toward the five disciples standing before the monument.

"Today, we will verify the combat standards of the Sanatan Flame Sect."

The atmosphere across the training grounds sharpened instantly.

Muo Qian stepped forward first.

Her red disciple robes shifted softly beneath the mountain wind as she stopped before the monument. Unlike Wang Tian’s overwhelming aura or Xiao Rui’s chaotic confidence, her presence remained controlled and steady.

Focused.

Behind the disciple rows, Wang Tian immediately straightened.

"Destroy it."

Luo Chen sighed beside him.

"...She’s measuring force value. Not declaring war."

Muo Qian ignored both of them completely.

She stepped forward calmly until she stood directly before the Heaven Measuring Monument. The mountain wind brushed against her crimson robes as she slowly raised one hand toward the ancient black stone.

Then—

Spiritual energy began circulating through her meridians.

A deep violet aura spread beneath her skin, flowing upward from her arm like liquid light. Purple spiritual currents twisted around her palm in tight spirals, dense enough to distort the surrounding air faintly.

Not violent.

Not explosive.

Controlled.

Every strand of spiritual energy compressed inward instead of leaking outward recklessly.

Xu Wen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Incredible control."

Most cultivators released force through eruption.

Muo Qian condensed it.

The pressure around her palm continued increasing silently, the violet aura growing darker and denser until even nearby disciples felt their breathing slow slightly beneath the compression.

Then—

She struck.

BOOM.

The impact exploded across the training grounds like a cannon blast.

A visible shockwave burst outward from her palm, forcing robes and banners to whip violently in the surrounding wind as the Heaven Measuring Monument trembled heavily beneath the attack.

Silver inscriptions across the black stone lit up one after another.

Faster.

Brighter.

Until finally—

Numbers formed above the monument.

15,000

Silence fell instantly.

Several recording brushes stopped mid-sentence.

One administrator slowly lowered his jade scroll before looking back toward Muo Qian in disbelief.

"...Fifteen thousand?"

Another swallowed unconsciously.

"That output already exceeds ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators..."

The surrounding disciples erupted instantly.

"She broke fifteen thousand!"

"That’s insane!"

"As expected of Muo Qian!"

Wang Tian looked personally offended by how proud he felt.

"I knew it!"

He pointed directly toward the monument like he had achieved the score himself.

"That’s my—"

Luo Chen grabbed his shoulder before the sentence finished.

"...Control yourself."

"I AM controlling myself!"

"You almost jumped into the arena."

"...That’s fair."

Even Xu Wen continued staring at the result longer than necessary.

Because Muo Qian had not used any technique.

No amplification.

No martial art.

That was pure force output.

Which meant her foundations far exceeded her cultivation level.

Muo Qian herself simply lowered her hand calmly before stepping back.

Though the faint upward curve near her lips betrayed her satisfaction slightly.

Wang Tian immediately gave her a thumbs up.

She pretended not to notice.

Xu Wen exhaled slowly before speaking again.

"...Next."

Lu Fang stepped forward with his usual relaxed calmness, adjusting the sleeves of his orange disciple robes lightly as he approached the Heaven Measuring Monument.

There was no overwhelming pressure around him.

No dramatic aura explosion.

And somehow—

That only made him stand out more.

His movements carried an effortless steadiness, the kind that came not from arrogance, but comfort within himself. Even walking across the training grounds, he looked completely at ease beneath the countless gazes fixed upon him.

Several female disciples visibly straightened.

A few male disciples immediately looked irritated.

"Why does he always look this composed?"

"That face is cheating."

"The Prince is attacking morale again..."

Near the disciple rows, Sheng Lu immediately cupped his hands around his mouth.

"MY BROTHER! DESTROY THAT STONE!"

Lu Fang glanced back slightly and smiled.

"I’ll try not to disappoint you."

"That’s exactly the kind of line I wish I could say naturally," Sheng Lu muttered emotionally.

Jun Hua stood quietly near the front with her arms folded as her gaze followed Lu Fang calmly.

No teasing.

No playful remarks.

Only confidence.

Because she already knew he would perform well.

Lu Fang eventually stopped before the monument and rolled his shoulders once.

Then he looked toward Xu Wen.

"Should I hold back slightly?"

One administrator nearly lost control of his breathing.

Xu Wen’s eyelid twitched faintly.

"...No."

"Understood."

The moment Lu Fang raised his hand—

Yellow spiritual energy flowed outward instantly.

Bright yellow rings shimmered behind him as refined spiritual qi gathered smoothly around his arm, the aura moving like flowing silk beneath sunlight before condensing tighter and tighter around his fist.

Elegant.

Stable.

Perfectly controlled.

Unlike Muo Qian’s heavy compression, Lu Fang’s spiritual energy moved fluidly, almost beautifully, before sharpening at the final moment into concentrated force.

Then—

He punched forward.

BANG.

A deep resonance exploded across the training grounds as the Heaven Measuring Monument shook violently beneath the impact. Silver inscriptions ignited rapidly across the black surface while compressed spiritual force rippled outward in visible waves.

The disciples immediately looked upward.

Numbers formed slowly.

14,500

Gasps spread through the crowd instantly.

Another terrifying result.

One administrator rubbed his forehead slowly.

"...What exactly are they feeding these disciples?"

Shaurya answered immediately from nearby.

"Emotional support and good food."

Xu Wen ignored him with the exhaustion of a man slowly losing faith in normality.

Meanwhile, Lu Fang stared at the result for a second before clicking his tongue lightly.

"...Ah."

Then, with absolutely zero shame, he stuck out his tongue slightly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Five hundred points lower."

Several disciples almost collapsed hearing that reaction.

"That’s what he’s upset about?!"

"I would retire from cultivation with that score!"

Nearby, Jun Hua finally smiled openly.

A small smile.

But genuine.

"You did well."

Lu Fang immediately looked toward her.

Then smiled back with enough softness to emotionally damage half the disciples present.

"Still not enough to impress you completely."

Jun Hua’s ears reddened faintly, though her expression remained composed.

"...You’re already impressive."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then—

Several disciples clutched their chests dramatically.

"We’re under attack again..."

"This relationship is poisonous."

"I came here seeking immortality, not heartbreak."

Even Xiao Rui looked emotionally exhausted.

"Somebody send them to a separate mountain."

Sheng Lu pointed accusingly toward Lu Fang.

"You encouraged this behavior!"

Lu Fang looked genuinely thoughtful.

"...Fair point."

That somehow made it worse.

Even King Tian Long laughed openly while Elder Liya sighed into her hand nearby.

Meanwhile, Xu Wen slowly lowered the evaluation scroll again and stared toward the remaining disciples standing before the monument.

The pressure surrounding the evaluation grounds continued rising.

And somehow—

They were only getting started.

Three left.

Then—

Xiao Rui walked forward.

Not confidently.

Not calmly.

But with the energy of a man preparing to commit spiritual crimes against public dignity.

He casually tossed the broom he had somehow continued carrying this entire time toward Sheng Lu.

"Hold this."

Sheng Lu caught it automatically before staring at the broom in disbelief.

"...Why were you still carrying that?"

"For emotional support."

Several disciples immediately covered their faces.

"...He’s starting."

"We’re doomed."

Xiao Rui rolled his shoulders dramatically before stepping into the center of the evaluation grounds. The wind swept across his robes as he stopped before the Heaven Measuring Monument and slowly cracked his neck left and right.

Then—

He raised two fingers toward the sky.

The entire training ground fell silent.

Even Administrator Xu Wen looked visibly confused now.

"...What is he doing?"

Nobody answered.

Because nobody knew.

Xiao Rui slowly closed his eyes.

The mountain wind circled around him.

His robes fluttered sharply.

And then—

He spoke.

"Throughout heaven and earth..."

At the front of the crowd—

Shaurya’s eyes widened instantly.

Wait...

This line...

Xiao Rui slowly opened one eye.

"I alone..."

Another dramatic pause.

"...look extremely handsome."

Dead silence.

Complete.

Utter.

Spiritual collapse.

Even Wang Tian stared at him blankly.

"...What?"

Luo Chen lowered his face into one hand.

"I don’t know him."

Several disciples looked physically injured from secondhand embarrassment.

One outer disciple whispered shakily:

"...Can the monument reject people?"

Sheng Lu looked spiritually exhausted already.

"This..."

He placed a hand over his face.

"...This is why the disciplinary hall follows him around."

Near the elders, Elder Jian Fan silently closed his eyes like a man questioning every decision that led to this moment.

Meanwhile—

Shaurya stared at Xiao Rui in disbelief.

"...Where the hell did he even learn that line?"

A golden system window immediately popped up before him.

[From you, Host.]

Shaurya blinked.

"...What?"

[You said it once in the fight with Ye Xuan.]

[He copied it.]

A brief pause.

[Though he modified it for personal purposes.]

Realization slowly appeared on Shaurya’s face.

"...Ah."

Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.

A realization slowly appeared on his face.

"...So that’s why I was wondering how this idiot knew the Honoured One’s line."

Shaurya stared at Xiao Rui with narrowing eyes while the idiot continued posing proudly before the monument like he had just descended from the heavens personally.

Then—

Realization struck him.

"...This bastard..."

Shaurya pointed accusingly toward Xiao Rui immediately.

"HE COPIED MY LINE!"

[You are not qualified to complain.]

[You also copied and fabricated it.]

Shaurya folded his arms defensively without even a second of hesitation.

"I took inspiration."

[Taking references from peak.]

Shaurya nodded seriously.

"Exactly."

Then he pointed toward Xiao Rui again with complete righteousness.

"But this idiot committed spiritual plagiarism."

Meanwhile, Xiao Rui remained completely unaware of the emotional devastation he had caused across the sect.

Spiritual energy exploded outward from his body.

BOOM.

Violent blue spritual energy surged into the sky as two deep purple spirit rings manifested behind him once more, rotating heavily while enormous spiritual pressure flooded the training grounds.

Unlike Lu Fang’s smooth elegance or Muo Qian’s refined control—

Xiao Rui’s power felt reckless.

Wild.

Chaotic.

Like someone throwing a thunderstorm directly at the enemy and trusting fate to organize the details afterward.

The stone beneath his feet shattered instantly as he twisted his body backward, spiritual force gathering violently into his right fist.

Then—

Then he punched.

BOOOOM!

The explosion thundered across the mountain peak as silver light erupted from the monument.

The Heaven Measuring Monument shook violently as silver light erupted upward like a pillar piercing the sky itself. A visible pressure wave swept across the training grounds hard enough to force several younger disciples backward.

Dust scattered.

Robes whipped violently in the wind.

And then—

The number appeared.

18,000

Silence.

Absolute silence.

One administrator’s recording jade slipped directly from his hand.

CRACK.

Nobody even looked at it.

Because every gaze remained locked onto the glowing number above the monument.

18,000.

Xu Wen stared at the result for several long seconds before slowly turning toward Xiao Rui.

"...You are only Nascent Soul Second Level."

Xiao Rui proudly placed both hands on his waist.

"Yes."

Xu Wen’s eyelid twitched faintly.

"...That output rivals at Higher Level."

Xiao Rui immediately pointed toward Shaurya.

"Master’s training methods are extremely unhealthy."

Shaurya folded his arms proudly.

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t praise."

The disciples finally exploded into noise afterward.

"He broke eighteen thousand?!"

"That’s insane!"

"Chaotic Genius!"

"Never let this idiot act humble again!"

Sheng Lu looked emotionally betrayed.

"...Why is the idiot this strong?"

Lee Bie answered calmly beside him.

"Unfortunately, heaven is unfair."

Even King Tian Long looked genuinely impressed now.

And among the administrators—

The atmosphere had changed completely.

Earlier, they came to evaluate a rising sect.

Now—

They were witnessing something abnormal.

Something that should not logically exist within a sect this young.

Xu Wen slowly exhaled before turning toward the final two disciples standing near the monument.

Luo Chen.

Wang Tian.

The strongest monsters of the Sanatan Flame Sect.

And judging from the force values already displayed—

The evaluation had only just begun.

To Be Continued....